Glow in Green Tea

No doubt, green tea has taken the skincare community by storm. It is rich in antioxidant, skin-calming and even, anti-aging properties! With all of this hoo-ha around this miracle food, it is no wonder everyone has taken to incorporating it into their skincare routine.

Green tea is derived from the leaves and buds of the Camellia sinensis tea plant. The tea's active components, polyphenols (also called catechins), have been claimed to benefit the skin due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. But, wait! There is something better! Also derived from green tea, specifically the Japanese sort, are matcha and hojicha. These two are stone-ground green tea types that are even richer in their properties. While matcha is shaded before being harvested, steamed and dried, hojicha isn't. But, it is roasted after the drying process of the green tea leaves.

But let's come down to what we really want to know about these types of green tea. The L-Theanine (an amino acid) in green tea is responsible for higher cell turnover on your skin. You can expect higher amount of L-Theanine in matcha and hojicha. Matcha is also incredibly high in caffeine content, which means reduced redness and less puffy eyes. But hojicha means evened out skin tone due to its vitamin C content. But in general, the green tea options are great if your skin is in need of vitamin B2, C and lots of E!